ALWAYS AND EVER OUR MOST BELOVED BENEDICTUS XVI
Thursday, March 7, Third Week of Lent
SAINTS PERPETUA AND FELICITA (Carthage, d 203?), Martyrs
They were both young women - Perpetua, a well-educated noblewoman, daughter of a Christian mother and pagan
father, mother of an infant son; Felicita, her slave, pregnant at the time they were seized and jailed, along
with three men, by Roman persecutors in the time of Septimus Severus, for refusing to denounce their
Christian faith. Perpetua was 22 and wrote an account of their imprisonment, the earliest known surviving
text by a Christian woman. In it she recalls she pleaded successfully with her captors to allow her to have
her son with her in prison. Eventually, they were 'sent to the public games' for execution - the men were
killed by beasts, and the two women were beheaded. They are remembered in the Canon of the Mass as two
of the seven women other than the Virgin Mary who are so memorialized. They are among the earliest
of North Aftican saints.
Readings for today's Mass:
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030713.cfm
AT THE VATICAN TODAY
The College of Cardinals held their fifth general congregation in the morning and will meet again in the afternoon.
With the arrival of Cardinal Pham from Vietnam yesterday, all 115 cardinal electors are now in Rome.
One year ago today...
The Holy Father Benedict XVI concluded his catecheses on Christian prayer, which began on May 4, 2011. In the final catechesis, he reflected on the equal importance of word and silence in Christian prayer, as exemplified by Jesus on the Cross.
Ignatius Press in the USA has just come out with an anthology of Benedict XVI's catecheses on prayer:
Benedict XVI dedicated the last complete catechetical cycle of his Pontificate to prayer, the life to which he now dedicates the rest of his days.
Sic transit Pontificatus...
Two brief items today which report that
1)Pope Benedict's official ring has been 'cancelled'
Pope Benedict XVI's gold papal ring, the symbol of his power used to officially seal documents and ensure their authenticity, has been cancelled, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.
Known as the Fisherman's Ring, it was due to be destroyed with a special silver hammer after Benedict's resignation Feb 28, symbolising the end of his authority.
Earlier, Claudio Franchi, the goldsmith who crafted the ring said he hoped his work would not be destroyed once the pontiff stepped down.
"I hope the ring is preserved and exhibited. It is a jewel that has so much symbolic value," Franchi said.
Benedict was the first pontiff since the 19th century to commission a Fisherman's Ring, which shows St. Peter fishing and bore the inscription "Benedictus XVI", the Pope's name in Latin.
2) The Vatican Governatorate today tore out Benedict XVI's coat of arms that had been designed with colorful plants on the slope in front of the Palazzo del Governatorato.
Papa Ratzi's paparazzi problem:
How was this CHI photo obtained?
Corriere della Sera reports that the telephoto shots (we've only seen 2 so far) were taken from the balcony of a Castel Gandolfo resident whose house is at an elevated point that overlooks the gardens. Apparently, another media agency has taken photos from the same site.
And a snapshot of this morning's current Catholic headlines tells a tale of silliness in itself:
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 09/03/2013 20:38]